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Quickly, the exchange became an impromptu Q&A. The star answered what he could and then some, even revealing that he and Jill are not allowed to visit the Duggars‘ main home without explicit permission from dad Jim Bob Duggar. According to the law school student, they’re not allowed to visit at all when he isn’t there. Check out the gallery below to see everything he had to say.
The Q&A started simply enough as a fan asked where Jill, 28, and Derick, 30, spent the holiday. “We had our own little Christmas, and some international friends joined us,” Derick responded.
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Courtesy of Derick Dillard/Instagram
Visiting Home
Soon enough, the conversation turned to why they didn’t visit with Jill’s parents. “[Do] Jill and Derick go to her parents’ house? I see so many pics of [the] Duggar family, but they aren’t [ever] in the pics.” Derick kept it simple by responding, “We’re not on 19 Kids and Counting anymore.”
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Courtesy of Derick Dillard/Instagram
Cancelled
When more than one fan pointed out that 19KAC was cancelled years ago and that it’s no longer a show, he countered that it was “just renamed,” seemingly suggesting that Counting On is no different. “I guess if you want to get technical, it does have a different name now,” he said.
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Courtesy of Derick Dillard/Instagram
Back
One fan pointed out that “JB and Michelle [Duggar] have worked their way back on, so Jill and [her] fam should be able to also!” In response, the father of two explained, “Yes, [JB and Michelle did] because it’s their show. We’ve only made guest appearances over the years for [a] wedding, birth, etc.” Seemingly disputing rumors that he was fired from the show due to his homophobic and transphobic tweets, he added, “We’ve never had any contact with TLC, hence not knowing there was a contract. Nobody from TLC has even mentioned to us what they would prefer that we say or not say.”
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Courtesy of Derick Dillard/Instagram
Hard Feelings
When a fan asked if “hard feelings” kept them from hanging out with the rest of the family on other occasions, Derick claimed there were “no hard feelings.” He continued, “There are just more things we are aware of now. The truth will always set you free.”
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Courtesy of Derick Dillard/Instagram
Trash Talking
Responding to accusations that he’s slammed his father-in-law in the past, he responded, “I haven’t trash talked, just answered questions that others should know about us so they’re no longer deceived like we were.”
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Courtesy of Derick Dillard/Instagram
Ministry
“For a long time, Jill and I were under the impression that the family didn’t make any money from the show, but, rather, it was presented to us kids as something that was done as a ministry that TLC periodically subsidized in the form [of] reimbursements for things like gas, restaurants, travel, etc. … But not any actual pay on top of that,” he told a fan who brought up compensation.
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Courtesy of Derick Dillard/Instagram
Banned
Though Derick claimed he and Jill still spend time with her side of the family, he explained that “it’s harder now because [they’re] not allowed at the house when JB isn’t there.” He revealed, “Jill even had to ask JB permission to go over to the house to help her sister when she was in labor because her sister wanted her help, but Jill couldn’t provide the assistance until we got it cleared with JB.”
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Courtesy of Derick Dillard/Instagram
Lawsuit
One commenter claimed that Derick and Jill chose to expose themselves to questions like these because they agreed to be on the show in the first place. “We were made to believe we didn’t have a choice, and that we would be sued if we refused,” he shot back. “However, once we became more enlightened, we realized that we could easily defend ourselves … against a lawsuit from the family/TLC.”
